[ExI] The Surrogates, movie

Stefano Vaj stefano.vaj at gmail.com
Wed Mar 3 15:33:20 UTC 2010


On 8 February 2010 04:19, Max More <max at maxmore.com> wrote:
> I found the movie mildly entertaining, but not terribly engaging or
> intellectually stimulating.
> ...
> The tone is lightly anti-transhumanist,
> alas.

I saw the film yesterday night, and my conclusion is "yes and no".

The end is slightly moralistic, but the plot is quite merciless in
exposing bioluddist ideas, practices and possible vested interests
behind it.

In fact, [SPOIL!] existing surrogates are eventually destroyed, yes,
but contrary to the wish of the Prophet neither the relevant
technology nor their users are eliminated, and the "abuse" of RW
avatars is presented in a way which is quite consistent with a more
general criticism of a life spent indifferently immersed in pop
literature in print, as a TV-coach potato or as a compulsive
videogamer, which is a time-honoured theme, not especially
anti-technological per se IMHO.

In fact, there is even a transhumanist angle on the excessive
diversion of technological efforts towards low-cost simulacra as a
compensation for diminishing real-world breakthroughs and adventure,
from, say, human enhancement to space exploration to geo-engineering
to improvements in everyday quality of life.

-- 
Stefano Vaj



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